Moctezuma II

1466 – 1520

Moctezuma Xocoyotzin was the ninth emperor of the Aztec Empire, reigning from 1502 to 1520, whose tenure ended with the arrival of Hernán Cortés and the first sustained contact between Mesoamerican civilization and Europeans. Initially receiving the Spanish at Tenochtitlan, he was taken hostage by Cortés in his own palace and used as a puppet ruler before dying under disputed circumstances during the uprising that became known as La Noche Triste. His reign and death stand as the pivotal moment in the destruction of the pre-Columbian Aztec world.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM